Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi Volume 1 Chapter 1
Chapter 1: For Those Who Love Legends
On Monday, God created the world.
God created “nothing” in a place where even the concept of nothing did not exist.
On Tuesday, God separated the order and the chaos.
God defined freedom and liberty, thus deciding the direction the world would travel in.
On Wednesday, God sorted the order of every number.
His tedious work brought about beautiful diversity.
On Thursday, God allowed for time to flow.
Numbers grew explosively, giving birth to the first humans. [1]
On Friday, God looked at every corner of the Earth.
Over millions of years of searching, God found this world to be ideal and had come to love it.
On Saturday, God rested.
Billions of years passed. [2]
Then, on Sunday God abandoned the world.
Fifteen years ago, God suddenly appeared in front of humanity and told them:
“Heaven is too crowded with people and this world will come to its end very quickly. Ah, I’ve made a mistake.” [3]
God just left behind these words before vanishing into thin air.
However the humans only wanted to sing and rejoice for spring while nature around them trembled in fear. Though humans had only existed in this world for less than a million years, this was their first time meeting God, but God was certainly already saying farewell.
From that day onward, humans no longer died.
Even if their hearts stopped, and their bodies festered, the dead would continue on with their activities.
From that day onward, humans were not born.
It was as if the factory that made humans stopped production, never to make another human being.
Soon, in the time after God left the Earth, people began screaming and vomiting blood - living on the verge of death.
The number of living quickly and suddenly decreased; the whole world filled with corpses.
Eventually, the Grave Keepers appeared.
God sent the Grave Keepers to mankind as one last miracle.
Grave Keepers did not grow old and nor did they know fatigue.
God gave them perfect bodies beyond man’s wildest imaginations. He instructed them to build tombs, and bury the dead that still wandered the world, to avoid disturbing people’s everyday lives. It was only after this, that people could peacefully sleep.
“To let the living sleep – that is the job of the Grave Keepers”
Youki had already repeated this bedtime story hundreds of times and the ending went like this: “Ai, you are a Grave Keeper; you need to protect everyone so they can sleep peacefully.” Every time, they would always arrive on this line of the bed time story.
“Ai?”
But tonight they only reached this point.
The room filled with treasures.
Like Ai’s work, this room was handcrafted by the villagers. Everything in the room, including the bed, cabinets, study table, furniture embellishments and various other little things were all handcrafted. Things from a stuffed teddy bear to a new small shovel were all neatly arranged together in the room. In the center, Ai breathed happily as she slept. With a murmured “Dear me”, Youki closed the book. “Sleep well, Ai. Thank you for all your hard work today.”
Youki pulled up her blanket, patted her head and quietly left the room.
“She’s asleep?”
Asked Anna, who was washing the dishes in the kitchen. She was wearing an apron and had her hair tied up so it would not interfere. She also sounded unexpectedly dissonant.
That night’s dinner may have had small portions but it certainly was tasty, there were 2 meat dishes and after dinner, there was even cake for dessert.
“We only got halfway through the story before she fell asleep, it must be because she ate so much today…I am very thankful.”
Youki put his hand on his wife’s shoulder, thanking her for her hard work. From the colourful look of today’s dishes, it could easily be seen that a lot of work had been put into making them. She turned her head around and asked:
“Youki, is this really what’s best? I know it lets me be a mother…but is this really what’s best?”
“Of course it’s what’s best. Weren't all the villagers also in favour of this?”
Youki showed a warm smile and stroked his wife’s shoulder.
“I'm grateful for you accepting the proposal[4]. Being a mother is a problematic role."
“No way, it's okay with me. Because I love you. To be able to have a child in these times, it truly is like a dream… I am so lucky right now that it is starting to make me afraid. However…”
Anna showed an uneasy expression.
“In your opinion… does this situation count as “lucky”?"
“What are you talking about?”
“Lately I’ve been thinking… To be able to be with you and Ai is the luckiest thing to happen to me. [5]
Anna seemed to notice something outside; she took Youki’s hand off her shoulder, walked up to the window, pulled aside the curtain and gazed out into the night sky.
“Someday, you two are going to leave this village. Holding hands will take away all the deceit... Then, in about four or five years of life in a new place, Ai will have grown up. I'm sure that she would be beautiful. She will love you as well...this is naturally...the best way to happiness.”
“You’re talking about this matter again.” [6]
Youki let his wife turn her body around before kissing her.
“This route does not take into account the most important prerequisite…the one I love isn’t Ai, but you.”
“You say that now, but after a few years, who knows? Also, in the future I will grow older[7]; on the other hand, Ai will grow more beautiful…"
“Anna.”
Youki hugged her tightly, expressing his views through his attitude.
“Anna, trust me, no matter whether you are sick or healthy, I will always love you, respect you, and remain sincere.”
He said this and kissed Anna’s hand.
“…After I die, let us rest together.” [8]
In this world where the dead remain wandering, Youki left this single vow – saying that when they die they would not remain wandering, but instead, share the same tomb.
“… ng.” [9]
After hearing Anna’s reply, Youki hugged her one more time (or once again). It was only at this point that he felt his stiff arms and body soften.
“Calmed down?”
“Ng.”
While saying this, Anna lightly escaped his hug. It wasn’t the same as his normal embrace. Anna casually picked up her bag, organized her things and got ready to go home.
“Do you want to go back?”
“Ng, I originally wanted to cheekily stay overnight... but, I can no longer do that anymore.”
Anna then added: “After all, you already said that you wanted me to believe you.” She then weakly let out a slight smile. Her
smile made Youki feels a good deal of heartache, and he could not resist saying:
“…If it’s just one night, the villagers won’t…” (WHAT THE… This isn’t actually a note, this bit just sounds…)
“You can’t.”
Anna immediately interrupted him.
“If you say these kind of things, how can you become a role model for everyone? I’m leaving now.”
Anna tightly clenched her husband’s hand, and then opened the door.
At the same time, the door to the kid’s room opened.
“…Anna…are you going back now?”
Ai rubbed her sleepy eyes while standing there.
“Ah, did we wake you up?”
While the two adults were looking at each other in confusion, Ai took advantage of the situation and ran over.
“…Anna, I don’t want you to leave...” [10]
She spoke these words like a kid, before wrapping her entire body around Anna’s stomach.
“Wait, wait a moment! Can you not put on that expression like you’re going to cry? Don’t we do this all the time already?”
“But Anna… today you are obviously someone's mother…”
Her drowsiness and the exciting night she had made Ai scared to sleep alone.
With no other choice left, Youki stretched out his left hand onto Ai’s shoulder and said:
“Ai, don’t pester Anna. Don’t you normally sleep alone?”
“But mama… you are supposed to… sleep on the same bed with your family.”
Youki took a deep sigh.
”Ai.”
When Youki becomes angry, his voice becomes coarse, and his hand strength also becomes firmer.
“Ai, what’s wrong? You shouldn’t be this kind of a child right? Please, don’t be so stubborn…”
“Ai, return to bed!”
But, Ai just continued to ignore them and kept her head bowed without saying a word.
The amateur parents didn’t know whether it was ok to hit or shout at their child and the mother froze in shock and pain.
“Ai, it hurts! Let go, my makeup will…”
“Ai, this is taking things too far!”
Youki made his decision and intervened by firmly gripping Ai’s shoulder.
At that moment, Ai widened her two green eyes and glanced at the two adults.
Her eyes were filled with tears, but because of the hunger and pain she felt, they remained relatively dry.
What kind of expression was she giving off?
Youki was startled by the wave of chills he felt. He knew something significant had just happened, but he had no clue what is it.
He had experienced this kind of situation in the past: 'he had not seen Ai behave this way before'. The Ai he had in his heart was more sensible, more free-spirited, could always understand what adults wanted, had her own opinions and wasn’t petulant. In the past she had been scolded, but had never needed to be beaten; she had been annoying, but never truly unbearable. Youki had always thought she was this kind of child.
This child was now testing his patience out, acting annoying and using her whole body to express her desires.
Youki knew that he must act now. He knew that the decisions he made in the past had been accumulating to this moment and he must deal with them Now. [11] But he still could not act (or move an inch); he could only stand there motionless and clench his fist.
After a long pause, time seemed to start moving again, though it wasn’t like thawing snow, rather it was like something rotting or disintegrating.
Ai’s entire body emitted a disheartened look and she slowly released Anna from her grasp, as the strength in her body was slowly drained away. Youki saw that the situation was already over, yet his body still refused to move.
In Ai’s eyes, the last remaining trace of what had just happened was fading away-- [12]
The air beside her started to move.
Anna gently knelt down and hugged Ai.
In the past, when she spoke, she would fear crinkling her clothes and smudging her makeup, but now, she didn't have the slightest worry about these things, displayed by the fact that she was holding Ai in her arms.
This action was just like a real mother.
“Ai.”
Her voice was calm, making her sound like a different person.
Part of Ai made Youki unable to do anything except helplessly despair. During this time, the Anna that was both hugging and shouting faded away. [13]
“Mama can’t sleep together with you.”
Anna gently touched Ai, who frowned with dissatisfaction.
“But I will always be with you. I will always, always be your mother, okay?”
“But…”
“Good grief, you don’t believe me? You’re already this old, and you still cause me this much worry…” [14]
Upon hearing this, Ai felt embarrassed and her cheeks blushed red while she wriggled her body.
Anna urged Ai not to move as she pulled out her handkerchief and wiped the tears and mucus off Ai’s face. This action seemed to make Ai feel even more embarrassed, so she took the handkerchief out of Anna’s hand and wiped her own face.
“Are you alright?”
“… I’m fine now.”
“Can you sleep by yourself now?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Ah, right, we might as well get Youki to sleep with you.”
“No! I’m fine! Good night!”
Ai said this before rushing back into her room. Anna didn’t worry as she watched her daughter leave.
“… So what is the current situation?”
Youki stretched his neck as he finally found the strength to move. Without looking at him, Anna said:
“… So in other words, at that exact moment, I became her mother.”
“What do you mean?”
“You still don’t understand? You are too unreliable as a father.”
“I am truly ashamed of myself.”
“Hehehe, it doesn’t matter, one day you will also understand.”
“I hope so, ah…”
In the end, Youki couldn’t do anything—this thought made him feel so powerless and regretful.
“Don’t you know? When forming a family, the father is always the last one to adapt… The first one to adapt is always the mother who is pregnant in her growing belly[15], the father is always the last one to realize. So that’s why this is very normal, you have no need to worry.”
After saying this to comfort Youki, Anna smiled and walked out of the cabin, without any hint of unease or embarrassment on her face.
Youki inexplicably felt that she had ditched the two of them, so he felt lonely.
He reluctantly shook his head and began to clean the glasses and bottles of wine left on the table. He realized that the glass in his hand felt a little bit heavy and after taking a closer look, it turned out that the glass still contained some leftover wine.
Youki looked at the glass and saw his own reflection; he saw has own heart and how it’s purity had been corrupted by the sins he had committed.
After a bit of hesitation, Youki drank what was left in this glass.
He then took the wine bottle, poured himself another full glass and drank it all in one mouthful.
Ai had a mother; Anna and herself had a daughter. All the villagers approved of this situation, it surely is gratifying. Then why did this wine taste so sour? [16]
He changed cups and drank another glass, yet it was still tasted foul. No, the foul taste wasn’t from the wine, but the person drinking it.
The bottle was now empty but Youki did not feel even slightly intoxicated.
He didn’t want to open another bottle, so he decided to go to sleep, passing Ai’s room on the way to his own.
His whole body felt as if it was being attracted to something, he stood in front of Ai’s room, opened the door slightly and looked in to see the small Grave Keeper sleeping happily.
After seeing her like this, Youki felt a sense of relief before closing the door again.
“Ai…”
He didn’t say goodnight, but instead said:
“…I’m very sorry…”
Translator's Notes
- ↑ I think this is what it is telling me, although I don’t know.
- ↑ This says billions of light years passed, at least I think it does… but that is a measure of distance and makes no sense
- ↑ "screwed up" is probably more accurate here… but I don’t really think God would say that.
- ↑ The Chinese says something about a promise. But it didn’t talk about any promise.
- ↑ No idea what the second part of this sentence said in Chinese so I went with an assumption.
- ↑ It sounds more natural/better in Chinese, trust me.
- ↑ No freaking dur
- ↑ I can’t really capture the mood on this moment in English.
- ↑ Sound made that could roughly be translated to ah, but since it was a sound I decided to keep it the same. Pronounced “ing” without the “i” sound. Sounds like an “n” except using 2nd tone.
- ↑ It says I don’t want you to go back here, but leave sound better in English while still keeping the meaning.
- ↑ Weird finance analogy was used here in the book, so it sounds a bit awkward.
- ↑ I have no idea what this sentence was trying to tell me… A second opinion would be great
- ↑ Translation check on these 2 sentences please. They confuse me
- ↑ no idea on the last bit.
- ↑ Literally what it said.
- ↑ I feel like sour was an appropriate word for this situation
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